TikTok saw a sharp increase in app uninstalls in late January, and that trend could have real implications for advertisers. In this episode, Kelly and Sean break down what’s driving the spike, how different age groups are responding, and why this matters for media budgets.

They revisit the last major period of TikTok uncertainty, when ad dollars were pulled and reallocated to other platforms, and compare it to what’s happening now. The conversation covers audience behavior shifts, advertiser risk tolerance, and where budgets are most likely to move if instability continues.

Key topics include:

• The reported surge in TikTok uninstalls and why it’s happening
• Differences in behavior between Gen Z and millennial users
• What happened to ad budgets during the last TikTok scare
• Why Reddit and Instagram benefited from past reallocations
• How content moderation, privacy changes, and short-form video trends factor in.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Media Monitor

01:42 Hosts Reconnect at Company Summit

02:30 TikTok's Uninstall Surge and Its Impact

04:19 Focus Groups on TikTok Usage

06:46 Historical Context of TikTok's Challenges

11:41 Advertisers' Response to TikTok Instability

15:15 Engagement and Closing Remarks

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments.

And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

Advertising often reveals where the economy is heading before the headlines do.

In this episode of Media Monitor, we break down one of the biggest advertising developments in years: OpenAI officially testing ads inside ChatGPT.

We explore what this move means for advertisers, media companies, and brands trying to understand where digital budgets are shifting. Using real advertising data, we compare ChatGPT’s ad rollout to past platform launches and unpack realistic growth scenarios.

Topics covered include:

• Why advertising data signals economic change early
• How ChatGPT ads will work across free and low-cost tiers
• Early pricing signals and CPM expectations
• Lessons from TikTok’s explosive ad growth
• What Meta’s ad maturity tells us about long-term potential
• Why Hulu offers a cautionary first-mover comparison
• How competition from Google, Gemini, and others could shape the market

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Media Monitor

00:43 Weekly Market Breakdown

02:19 OpenAI's Ad Announcement

03:23 Analyzing the Impact of Ads on ChatGPT

06:08 Scenario Analysis: TikTok's Explosive Growth

19:46 Scenario Analysis: Meta's Steady Growth

26:10 Scenario Analysis: Hulu's First Mover Advantage

30:44 Conclusion and Future Insights

If you work in advertising, media, or marketing, this episode offers a clear-eyed look at what ChatGPT ads could mean today and where the opportunity may land over the next several years.

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments.

And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.

Why would a vodka brand spend close to $9 million on a Super Bowl ad at a time when alcohol sales are slowing and advertising budgets are under pressure?

In this episode, Kelly Sweeney and Sean Wright break down Svedka Vodka’s first-ever Super Bowl commercial and what it reveals about where advertising, culture, and brand strategy are heading.

The conversation looks at why Svedka is leaning into AI-assisted creative, early-2010s internet nostalgia, and influencer-driven activation—while many brands are pulling back. Sean also walks through the real math behind Super Bowl advertising, explaining what return on ad spend actually looks like at that scale and why brands often treat the Super Bowl as a cultural signal rather than a direct sales play.

This episode covers:

• How AI is being used quietly inside major brand campaigns
• Why nostalgia marketing has shifted from the 1990s to the mid-2000s
• What a Super Bowl ad really costs—and what it takes to justify it
• Why influencer culture is replacing traditional celebrity endorsements
• How meme creation has become a modern success metric for advertising

They also discuss broader Super Bowl advertising trends, the decline of liquor ads, rising NFL unit rates, and why brands continue to place massive bets on the biggest stage in media—even when the numbers don’t pencil out cleanly.

If you’re interested in brand strategy, advertising economics, or how culture drives marketing decisions, this episode offers a clear, grounded look at what’s actually happening behind the scenes.

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on advertising, media strategy, and cultural marketing moments.

If this discussion made you rethink how brands approach the Super Bowl, share the episode with a colleague or friend in marketing or media.

And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, a quick rating or review helps more people discover the show.